This is an updated review of the Fi Series 2 collar with GPS tracking. One year ago we purchased a Fi Series 2 dog tracking collar to replace Lizzy Lou’s Whistle Go Explore and also got one for our newest pack member, Tripp. We’re pleased to say that both Fi GPS dog tracking collars have performed very well, with only a few minor downsides, which we’ll get to shortly. First, let’s look at what we liked about the collars.
Fi Series 2 Dog Collars Have Survived Our Active Dogs
Both of our dogs love to dig holes, roughhouse around the yard and plunge in any water they can find when we go hiking. As you can see in the photo above, Lizzy’s collar shows some scratches and the Fi logo is wearing off, but this has not affected its functionality. The Fi Series 2’s band is the standard one that comes with the tracker, and from blog posts we’ve read, see it’s been beefed up from previous models. At around 85 pounds, she pulls quite hard on the leash most of the time, yet both the clasp and leash attachment point have held up well so far.
Compared to Whistle Go Explore, Fi Series 2 Collar Has Better Coverage
We’ve traveled in remote areas of Utah, New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, Oklahoma and Texas with both the Whistle Go Explore and the Fi Series 2 collars on several different trips. Although both GPS dog collars use AT&T, the Fi collar is different in that it utilizes that network’s LTE-M towers, (made specifically for IOT –Internet of Things devices) with 30% more range outdoors than regular cellular.
Back when we owned a Whistle Go Explore and one Fi Series 2, we noticed in areas where we only had cell phone coverage with AT&T, the Fi collar was the only one reporting to the network. Although Fi and Whistle Go Explore both use AT&T, in the Lincoln National Forest, near Cloudcroft, NM, there was no connection to the Whistle Go Explore, yet the Fi was still connected and reporting to the app.
Fi Series 2 GPS Collars Are Waterproof
Our 5 year-old lab-mix, Lizzy Lou loves water and we often hike with her along rivers and streams. Lizzy has completely submerged her collar many times, with no ill effects. Tripp’s collar gets wet less often, but also has had no issues with water. The Fi Series 2 model is advertised as IP68 rated for water resistance, meaning it’s been tested by being submerged at 1.5 meters for 30 minutes. So far, so good on water resistance.
Good Battery Life For Fi Series 2 GPS Collars – But Not As Long as Advertised
As we mentioned, in the past we’ve used a Whistle GO Explore dog tracker and although we found the GPS tracking and other functions to be comparable to the Fi Series 2, the battery life was not as long. We found we were taking the Whistle Go Explore collar off to recharge it, somewhere around the two-week mark. Although the Fi Series 2 collar claims battery life up to 3 months – and up to 2 months for dogs who walk outside, we find that somewhere around the three week mark is when we need to recharge them.
We use two WiFi bases, one for each collar, keep them connected to our home WiFi, and walk our dogs away from the home for about one hour in the morning and a half-hour in the evening. We don’t use the night light function, as this uses more battery life. Recharging the Fi GPS dog collar is easy. The charger is magnetized. All you have to do is set the collar on the charger and the it automatically aligns the charging contacts. Not having to mess with lifting rubber plugs on the collar and inserting charging plugs is awesome.
Does The Fi GPS Dog Collar Work in Canada? – Yes, Sort Of
For those of you who may travel with your dogs north of the border, you may wonder if the Fi Series 2 collar works in Canada. Although our experience using a Fi GPS dog collar in Canada is limited to Ontario, we can report that it did work well in the areas we traveled to. We entered Ontario at Sarnia and after crossing the border, both of the Series 2 Fi collars continued to provide tracking.
We stayed in the Toronto area for two weeks and had no problems using the collars. Both provided perfect tracking and GPS location data on our walks. Fi Series 2 collars use the AT&T network, and since our AT&T cell phones were roaming on Rogers (a Canadian network), we assume the Fi collars were as well.
If you were to move outside of Roger’s network, your Fi Series 2 dog collar would probably not work in Canada. Below is a map showing AT&T’s roaming map for Canada. We would assume that Fi Series 2 collars should work in Canada, in the areas shown, but we only have experience with the Toronto area. Currently you must have a US address to activate a Fi Series 2 Collar and they’re not for sale in Canada.
Improvements to Fi Series 2 Collar We’d Love to See
We find the Fi collar app easy to navigate, but it could use a few improvements. For one, it should be easier to find menu items for things like changing the update interval of the collar, checking the time left on your yearly subscription and monitoring battery life. Battery life should be displayed right there “in your face”, since it’s the most important thing you need to monitor. It’s also way too easy to hit the “lost dog mode” by accident when the app is open, and this dramatically reduces battery life.
It would be nice If the icon for the app could perhaps list battery life beside it, this would make it easier to know when to recharge the Fi collar. We’d love it if battery life was longer, but since it’s much better than any competitors, we’re happy with what we get. Another beef we have is the monitoring fee structure. There should be a discount on the $99 yearly monitoring charge if you have more than one Fi collar. Even prepaid cell phone plans have discounts for extra lines, so why are we charged the same amount for each collar?
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Last, we’d love if if the next generation of these collars could utilize true, satellite based communication, such as the Iridium network used by Garmin’s Inreach communicator. Now that off-grid satellite communicators come in sizes as small as a 9 volt battery, couldn’t the same technology be used for dog tracking collars? If this isn’t possible, the next best option would be to allow users to purchase dual SIM card option for roaming on two networks as opposed to one.
The collar must be connected to AT&T’s network in order to function and there are still too many dead spots across the rural US. This is the tracker’s biggest shortcoming. Also, it’s important to note that your phone must have cellular coverage as well, in order to use the app and locate your pet.
Would we Buy it Again? We’d purchase a Fi Series 2 collar – or a couple of them – again. We feel that they’re a worthwhile investment to make for the safety of our pets.
(This article is an update from our first one about GPS dog trackers.)
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Update – 01/26/2024
We’ve used two Fi Series 2 trackers continuously on our dogs for more than three years now – no issues and both still working fine.
